PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Health indicators are poor for the overall population in Arkansas and the state's racial and ethnic health disparities have been identified as being among the worst in the nation. This argues strongly for research to support the development of effective practice programs. We propose to continue the research and investigator development efforts of the Arkansas Center for Health Disparities (ARCHD), a currently funded Exploratory Center of Excellence. The proposed Administrative Core builds on our 10-year history of success to ensure the smooth and effective functioning of all Center activities. The overall goal of the Administrative Core is to provide comprehensive oversight and evaluation for all components related to: scientific oversight; fiscal management; implementation of core plans; submission of annual progress reports; compliance of Center- supported research (Full and Pilot) with all applicable regulations and policies; use of common data element and measures across all research projects, as appropriate; career enhancement activities for all College investigators, particularly post-doctoral fellows and junior investigators; and fulfillment of all appropriate Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of an award. To achieve that goal, we will allocate and oversee all Center resources; coordinate all interactions with NIMHD; evaluate processes and outcomes for all Center components, developing and implementing corrective action plans as needed; establish a Methods, Evaluation and Measurements Team to contribute multidisciplinary expertise related to methods, measures, statistics, dissemination, and evaluation; and oversee and coordinate resource allocation, timelines, and collaborations within the Center and with external advisory groups and other partners. The impact of these activities is expected to be the timely and collaborative completion of all planned activities and the achievement of all overall Center- and component-specific goals.